“And that was it, no more Spain” - Former Argentina coach opens up on how he stopped Lionel Messi from representing Spain at U20 level

Former Argentina coach Jose Pekerman has revealed that Lionel Messi could have played for Spain at the U20 level. He said that he pushed for the legendary forward to play for La Albiceleste and snub La Roja.

Lionel Messi made his senior debut for Argentina in 2005 under José Pekerman. Meanwhile, he played his first match for La Albiceleste at the U20 level against Paraguay in 2004. However, he could have played for the Spain U20 team instead.

During the Ole Summit 2025, Pekerman shared how Messi ended up with the Argentina U20 side, saying (h/t Mundo Albiceleste):

“In Spain, we had heard about Lionel from an Under-17 tournament in Finland. The Spanish coaching staff told us that if they had had that ‘kid’, they would have won it. But since the paperwork was already in place for him to play in the Under-20 World Cup for Spain, which would have blocked him, we had to hurry. Tocalli told me he had the team ready for the South American Under-20 Championship, which was starting in a month.”

Pekerman added:

“I spoke to the president, told him about it, said he wanted to come, and that we had to send the call-up to Barcelona. I told Tocalli that I was impressed, that he was the player of the future. I couldn’t be wrong, he was the new star of Argentine football a blessing."

“I told him (Tocalli) that I didn’t want him to play if it wasn’t necessary, just to play a friendly match and sign the form to send to FIFA. And that was it, no more Spain. I spoke with Julio (Grondona) to ask him to give Messi his debut, but I set one condition: the opponent could be anyone, I didn’t care; the match had to be played at Argentinos’ stadium. If Diego had played there…”

Lionel Messi is regarded by many as Argentina's greatest-ever player now, even beyond Diego Maradona. He has scored 115 goals and provided 64 assists in 196 games, winning one FIFA World Cup, among other honors.

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Lionel Messi opens up on his potential participation at 2026 FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi has featured in five FIFA World Cups, winning the last edition in 2022. With Argentina having qualified for the Mundial next year, he could feature at the tournament for the final time. However, the Barcelona legend hasn't confirmed his participation in the tournament yet.

In an interview with SPORT, Lionel Messi said:

"Yes, obviously yes, it is a special World Cup, it is special to play with the national team and more important, official competitions and more what a World Cup means and after having won it too. But a little bit what I was telling you, I don't want to be a burden, so to speak. I want to feel good physically, be sure that I can help and contribute things to the group, to the squad."

The 38-year-old has been in terrific form this season, recording 42 goals and 20 assists in 46 games across competitions for Inter Miami.